Turkish Language Teaching Research Articles

A Book Teaching Turkish to Children Through Berlitz Method in Turkey in 1910s

This research aimed to investigate a coursebook titled Metod Berliç’den Tedris-i Lisan-ı Türki, Kısm-ı İptidai (Turkish Language Teaching through Berlitz Method, Basic Part) that was written to teach Turkish to foreigners in 1910s. Orhan Salahaddin, then the teacher of Old Turkish at Istanbul Berlitz School and of French at Ottoman University, is the author of the book. Also known as the natural method, this method, which suggests that the process of acquiring a mother tongue and the process of learning a foreign language should be similar, aims primarily to develop speaking skills. The 113-page book begins with brief information about the Berlitz method and suggestions for teachers. After the alphabet instruction, language teaching begins with question-answer technique based on a text in sections called lessons containing various visuals. After the lessons section, teaching is reinforced with reading passages. In this study, the adaptation made by Orhan Salahaddin and Berlitz’s book were compared and changes made in the Turkish book were addressed. The most profound difference between the two books is that Orhan Salahaddin, in contravention of the method, included French translations of many Turkish statements in his work and changed the texts. The book is quite notable in Turkey for being the first Turkish book to have ever been written in accordance with Berlitz method.

Analysing the Messages Received by Prospective Turkish Language Teachers from Their Environment in Terms of Gender Roles

Analysing the Messages Received by Prospective Turkish Language Teachers from Their Environment in Terms of Gender Roles

Critical Reading Self-Efficacy Perceptions of Turkish Language Teacher Candidates

Critical Reading Self-Efficacy Perceptions of Turkish Language Teacher Candidates

The Impact of Close Reading Strategies on Individual Innovativeness and Life Skills: Preservice Teachers.

Reading is one of the fundamental tools for acquiring knowledge that has a direct effect on an individual's life. Many single and multiple strategies are used to improve reading comprehension, which is a strategic acquisition. (1) This study aims to investigate the effects of close reading strategies on the life skills and individual innovativeness of preservice Turkish language teachers. (2) The study group for this research consists of 31 preservice teachers studying in the Turkish Language Teaching department at a university in northern Türkiye. A sequential mixed-method design was used. In the quantitative aspect of the research, a pre-test and post-test experimental design without a control group was used, while in the qualitative aspect, a case study design was employed. Data were collected using the Life Skills Scale, Individual Innovativeness Scale, and semi-structured interview form. In analyzing the data obtained to examine the effect of the experimental process, a t-test for dependent groups was used, whereas data from the interviews were analyzed through content analysis (3-4). According to the results obtained from the research, the close reading strategy was determined to be a strategy that significantly improves the life skills and individual innovativeness of preservice Turkish language teachers.

Meditating role of career sustainability in the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction and subject well-being

The main purpose of this study, explore the mediating role of career sustainability in the relationships between teacher self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being. Teachers should have an acceptable level of satisfaction regarding self-efficacy, career sustainability, and job satisfaction to secure well-being. In a sense, this claim mandates revealing the relationships between these variables. Accordingly, we collected data from 369 Turkish language teachers aged 24–55 years employed in public schools using the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, Short Index of Job Satisfaction, Career Sustainability Scale, and Subjective Well-Being Scale and tested a mediation model to seek answers to our hypotheses. We collected the data using an online questionnaire battery web-based survey (Google Forms) which was created using data collection measures and demographic items. After creating the survey using Google Forms, we distributed it through various channels such as email lists, social media platforms, and professional networks (e.g., teacher WhatsApp groups, teacher Telegram groups, etc.). Respondents were invited to participate in the survey voluntarily. The findings showed that career sustainability mediated the relationships between teacher self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being. Accordingly, we may claim that teachers with desirable career sustainability are likely to have increased job satisfaction and well-being, contributing to their self-efficacy. This research emphasises the essential significance of career sustainability in the overall well-being and work satisfaction of teachers. Future study should investigate treatments aimed at improving career sustainability and examine these linkages in other cultural settings.

Promoting inclusivity: exploring Turkish language teacher identity and cognition in special education for students with visual impairments

PurposeThis case study aims to enrich research on language teacher identity and cognition by detailing the experiences of English language teachers instructing students with visual impairments in Türkiye, exploring the (re)formation of their identity and cognition within this context.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a qualitative approach, combining interviews, observations, field notes and legal document analysis. Hiver and Al-Hoorie's (2016) Complexity Theory guides data collection and analysis, supported by MAXQDA software.FindingsThe findings highlight the influences of personal, social, cultural and educational factors on language teacher identity and cognition, with a focus on interactions in preservice education, institutional requirements and instructional methods at the School for the Blind.Originality/valueThis case study provides practical and theoretical insights into language teacher identity and cognition within special education schools, contributing to the broader discourse on diversity in this field.

Almanya'da Çok Kültürlü Ortamda Yetişen Türk Kökenli Çocuklara Türkçe Öğreten Öğretmenlerin Değer Yargıları

The value judgments held by teachers responsible for instructing Turkish to children of Turkish origin in Germany’s multicultural context warrant rigorous analysis. This study seeks to critically examine the role these educators play in perpetuating the Turkish language among new generations, following the mass migration of Turkish citizens to Germany since 1961, and to evaluate the impact of these value judgments on the students’ linguistic and cultural development. The value judgments of teachers are posited as a significant factor in the formation of students’ cultural identities and the preservation of their mother tongue, underscoring the profound influence of educators’ attitudes on students’ language acquisition and cultural integration. In a diverse society like Germany, the preservation and development of cultural identity among Turkish students is imperative for their social integration and personal development. This research aims to contribute to the formulation and enhancement of educational policies for teachers of Turkish abroad by elucidating the effect of teachers’ cultural value judgments on students’ value perceptions. Furthermore, this study aspires to serve as a critical reference for shaping educational strategies for children of Turkish origin in Germany. Keywords: Germany, Turkish, Bilingualism, Value Judgments, Turkish Language Teachers

Türkçe Dersinin Almanya´Da 2005-2015 Yılları Arasında Doğan Türk Ögrencilerin Türkçe Seviyelerine Etkisi (Buchheım Örneği)

Despite the passage of 60 years, Germany remains one of the most preferred countries for Turkish migration. The demographic structure of migrants has changed, with educated and professional individuals now migrating with their families. Family migration brings along numerous challenges, one of the most significant being the ability of these families' children to learn and speak Turkish proficiently. This issue is particularly challenging for children born in Germany, as nearly all of them speak Turkish with an accent. The development of students' Turkish language skills depends on three main factors: Turkish learned at home, Turkish lessons received at school, and Turkish acquired in social life. This study investigates the impact of Turkish lessons on the Turkish language proficiency of these two groups of students. Within the scope of the research, a survey was conducted with 81 students of Turkish origin in grades 9-12 at Werner Heisenberg Realschule and Ferdinand Franz Wallraf Gymnasium, located at the Köln Schulzentrum Buchheim. It was found that while attending Turkish classes had a positive effect on students' Turkish proficiency, this contribution was significantly below the expected level. Various activities were suggested to improve the Turkish language skills of young people growing up in Germany. Keywords: Mother tongue Turkish, Turkish children in Germany, Turkish language teaching, migration.

Investigation of the Competencies of Teacher Candidates in Using Web 2.0 Tools

This study aimed to examine the web 2.0 tool usage competencies of Turkish and Turkish language and literature teacher candidates. The participants' proficiency with Web 2.0 tools was assessed in this context based on several characteristics. 279 teacher candidates (219 female and 59 males) were the subjects of the study, which was carried out at an eastern Turkish university. The data was gathered using Google Docs (Google Forms) and the “Web 2.0 Tools Usage Competency Scale (WAKYÖ)” created by Çelik (2021) as the data gathering method. The results of the study indicate that the digital competency of teacher applicants is frequently in the medium range. The results show that while most teacher applicants use social media, they don't use it frequently. In the gender-based examination, male teacher candidates performed much better than female teacher candidates when using Web 2.0 tools. However, an analysis of age groups shows that there are no discernible differences in Web 2.0 tool proficiency. The examination conducted based on the department or main science that each student pursued at the university revealed that teacher candidates with varying degrees of education possessed comparable levels of digital proficiency. However, there was no discernible difference in the analyses conducted based on the individuals' devices, their use of social media, the amount of time they spent on it each day, and whether or not they had taken computer or information technology courses during their undergraduate studies. The results showed no appreciable variation based on family income level. The results suggest that the focus of educational activities should be on more effective ways to improve digital skills. This makes it obvious that specialized training and support programs should be developed to fulfill the requirements of teacher candidates while taking into consideration factors like academic specialization and gender.

EXAMİNİNG THE COMPOSİTİON WRİTİNG SKİLLS OF CLASSROOM TEACHER CANDİDATES

Classroom teachers should be able to pick up the pen and find something to write at any time, anywhere, regardless of the subject. What is expected from the classroom teacher is that it is gaining writing skills, being able to express feelings and thoughts in writing and conveying tüm completely. The aim of this research is to show how accurately and effectively prospective classroom teachers who continue their higher education can apply the composition writing skills they learned in the Turkish Language Teaching course. For this purpose, the student's compositions were evaluated by two different researches in three parts as "format, language and expression, spelling and punctuation" within the scope of Prof. Dr. Cemal Yıldız's "Written Expression Evaluation Form". In this respect, the research is suitable for the case study design, one of the qualitative research methods. The population of the research consists of 58 classroom teacher candidates studying in the second year of a state university in the Eastern Anatolia region. An easily accessible sample was used in the research.

Turkish Language Teachers' Perspectives on Listening Skills Education in Turkey and Northern Cyprus

Turkish Language Teachers' Perspectives on Listening Skills Education in Turkey and Northern Cyprus

A Study on the Predictors of Written Expression Level of Turkish Learners as a Foreign Language

In the context of teaching Turkish to foreigners, this study aimed to assess whether attitudes towards the target language, grammatical knowledge, speaking skills, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and prior writing knowledge could predict success in writing in the target language. To investigate this, a relational survey method and a quantitative research design were employed. The study sample comprised 147 B1 level-foreign learners studying Turkish as a foreign language at the Turkish Language Teaching Center (TÖMER) in Ankara during the 2022-2023 academic year. The study utilized a multiple-choice test to assess reading comprehension, an informative listening text titled “Ay’a Yolculuk (Journey to the Moon)” along with a 20-question short-answer test to evaluate listening comprehension, a rating scale for assessing speaking skills, and a cloze test for measuring Turkish grammar knowledge. Moreover, in this study, a short-answer test was employed to assess the participants’prior knowledge of writing. An attitude scale was used to measure students’attitudes towards learning Turkish, while a 6+1 analytical assessment scale was used to evaluate students’ writing skills. When the predictive impact of the chosen independent variables on writing skills was examined, these variables collectively accounted for 66% of the variation in writing achievement. The ranking of the influence levels of these variables on writing achievement (from most to least influential) was as follows: prior knowledge, grammatical knowledge, reading comprehension, attitude towards the target language, speaking achievement, and listening achievement.

The Roles of Collective Teacher Efficacy and Commitment in the Relationship Between Turkish Language Teachers’ Job Satisfaction and School Principal Distributed Leadership

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between principal distributed leadership and teacher job satisfaction, with the mediating role of collective teacher efficacy. It also investigated the moderating role of teacher commitment in the link between collective teacher efficacy and teacher job satisfaction. Drawing data from a sample of 338 Turkish language teachers in secondary schools in Turkey, the current study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Moderated mediation structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the data. Results provided a moderate direct association between distributed leadership and teacher job satisfaction and an indirect relationship mediated by collective teacher efficacy. Researchers also found the moderating role of teacher commitment in the relationship between collective teacher efficacy and teacher job satisfaction to be positive and significant. Results provide evidence from a non-Western developing context and Turkish language teachers, contributing to the global knowledge base by confirming the positive and direct link between distributed leadership and teacher job satisfaction while highlighting the significant mediating role of collective teacher efficacy between these two constructs and the moderating role of teacher commitment in reflecting this role in teacher job satisfaction. Implications for policymakers and practitioners are discussed.

The effect of teaching the alphabet with onomatopoeia on writing skills in Turkish lessons for foreigners

One of the difficulties in teaching Turkish, which is a phonetically rich language, to foreigners, is that similar sounds are often confused with each other. Since even a single punctuation mark is crucial for writing and reading Turkish letters (ı-i, o-ö, u-ü, c-ç, g-ğ, s-ş, etc.), students who use the Arabic alphabet have great difficulty writing and pronouncing Turkish words correctly. The difficulties that foreigners have in spelling vowels (ı-i, o-ö, u-ü) and consonants (c-ç, g-ğ, m-n, s-ş) when learning Turkish also have a negative impact on their writing and speaking skills. Especially in essay writing classes, students often misspell words, which makes it necessary to determine and implement more effective strategies in alphabet lessons. When teaching the Turkish alphabet, it is of great importance that the teacher uses “onomatopoeia,” which is considered an important feature of Turkish, to overcome this problem. In this study, the effect of onomatopoeia, the word corresponding to sounds in nature, on writing skills in Turkish classes for foreigners was investigated. This study, taken from a class of nine students at the Afyon Kocatepe University Turkish Language Teaching Centre at A1 level in the semesters of 2013–2014, was based on the analysis of three essays written by the students before and after studying onomatopoeia. The analysis of the data revealed that teaching the alphabet with onomatopoeic words was effective for the students in terms of the letters whose spellings were confused with each other and made a significant contribution to the writing skills of foreigners.

Turkish Language Teachers' Formative Assessment Competencies and Barriers for Formative Assessment: A Mixed-Methods Study

Turkish Language Teachers' Formative Assessment Competencies and Barriers for Formative Assessment: A Mixed-Methods Study

Digital Writing in Foreign Language Teaching: Learner Views

The present study explores Turkish learners’ approaches toward digital writing and how digital writing contributes to their language learning. For this purpose, we recruited 21 international students from 16 countries, 10 males and 11 females, who attended B2-C1-level Turkish language classes at the Akdeniz University Turkish Language Teaching Center in the 2021-2022 academic year. We recorded and transcribed the data collected through face-to-face interviews with a semi-structured interview form consisting of 6 questions. The data were then coded to generate themes, and the findings were grounded on the interpretation of these themes. Accordingly, the results uncovered that all participants engage in digital writing and mostly utilize WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, YouTube, and Twitter as digital writing platforms. Moreover, they were found to usually mind proper spelling and punctuation and tend to use the T9 typing system in digital writing in Turkish. We also discovered that participants find auto-correction useful and sometimes misspell vowels, consonants, and longer words/consecutive suffixes due to differences between spoken and written languages. They particularly thought that digital writing contribute to their learning of Turkish. Overall, we comprehensively discussed the findings and raised some recommendations for future research.

Research on Lifelong Learning Tendencies of University Students

The lifelong learning strategy is one of the most significant strategies suggested for bringing up modern persons in the appropriate circumstances. This study attempts to identify, in terms of several characteristics, the lifelong learning tendencies of the Turkish language, literature, and Turkish teacher candidates. 297 students studying Turkish Language and Literature as well as Turkish Teacher Certification at a university in the east of Turkey make up the study's sample in the survey model. The Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale (Gür Erdoan Arsan, 2016) was used to gather the research's data. The information gathered throughout the study was analyzed using four distinct methods, including frequency, percentage, t-test for independent groups, and Kruskal Wallis H test. The statistical software package SPSS for Windows 22.00 was used to analyze the data. The study's findings revealed that, when it comes to gender-related factors, female teacher candidates had stronger lifelong learning tendencies than male teacher candidates. It was discovered that teacher candidates who read books frequently—every day, every other day, and once a week—had better propensities for lifetime learning than those who read books just once a month. It was found that teacher candidates with stronger dispositions toward lifelong learning studied scientific/academic, personal development, adventure, novel/story, and literary genres. Additionally, it was discovered through the research that there was no significant difference in the lifelong learning tendencies of teacher candidates about factors like age, the department or major of science they studied in college, the grade level they studied in, family income level, the education levels of their mothers and fathers, and preferred reading model. In general, it was found that teacher applicants scored extremely well on the lifelong learning tendencies scale when it came to their responses regarding their degrees of willingness to learn and grow over time.

How Should a Teacher Be According to The Teacher’s Views?

Identifying and enhancing teacher competencies and qualifications is crucial for advancing the quality of education. This qualitative study aimed to explore teachers' qualifications and self-perceptions through interviews with 78 teachers across various disciplines. The objective was to understand discrepancies between teachers' self-views and critical perceptions of colleagues, thereby identifying essential competencies. Semi-structured interviews, employing a qualitative approach, facilitated a thorough exploration of teacher perspectives. The study group included classroom, English, Turkish, math, science, philosophy, religious culture, computer, biology, history, chemistry, physical education, music, Turkish language, literature, painting, and physics teachers. Open-ended questions elicited opinions on colleague qualifications, essential teacher competencies, and self-perceptions. The findings revealed that experienced teachers demonstrated higher confidence, while beginners expressed a commitment to improvement. Communication skills, empathy, love for students, subject knowledge, self-development, patience, tolerance, and passion for teaching were highlighted as crucial competencies. Teachers emphasized the need for a balance between personal and professional qualities, advocating for pedagogical formation, contemporary teaching approaches, and technology proficiency. The study concludes that continuous professional development is vital, emphasizing the importance of both human-oriented qualities and technical competencies for effective teaching. This research provides a foundation for raising teachers' awareness of competence assessment and development, urging educational institutions to support ongoing teacher growth.

Investigating Syntactic and Morphological Differences in the Written Productions of Turkish Learners Based on the Learning Context

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the potential impact of the learning context on learners’ written production. Comparing the syntactic and morphological errors, the study tries to find out whether there are differences between written language productions of learners learning Turkish in Turkey and the ones outside the target community. Design/Methodology/Approach: Following descriptive research method, the study adopted qualitative design through systematic content analysis to analyse the data gathered from 78 learners of Turkish at A2 proficiency level, in Turkey (N=42) and outside of Turkey (N=36). The statistical analyses were then carried out to identify the ratios and the categorical distributions of errors determined through error analysis. Findings: The results reveal that learning a language in the target context impacts writing performances significantly at syntactic and morphological level. Based on the findings, instructional implications are provided to enhance effective language input. Highlights: Writing, an important and functional skill in multiple domains, is one of the most challenging skills to master and requires receive sufficient and meaningful authentic language input. As Turkish possesses distinct characteristics compared to Germanic or Semitic Languages, learners of Turkish have additional challenges at language production level. Learners of Turkish display significant differences in the types of syntactic and morphological errors in their writing depending on their learning contexts. The learning context has impacts on the writing productions of learners. The results suggest that educators and program developers in the field of Turkish Language teaching need to consider the role of the context in learning a foreign language while incorporating the special linguistic characteristics of Turkish in designing their teaching programs, materials and lessons.

Exploring the influence of the Socrates Seminar Technique on anxiety, motivation, and reading comprehension in foreign learners of Turkish

This research aims to study the effects of the Socrates Seminar Technique on foreigners' Turkish learning anxiety, motivation, and reading comprehension skills. For this purpose, a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with a control group, which is one of the quantitative research methods, was used in this research. The study group of the research consists of 40 B2 level students learning Turkish at Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University, Turkish and Foreign Language Teaching Application and Research Center (BANÜ-TÖMER). To collect the research data, the Reading-Comprehension Achievement Test prepared by the researchers, the "Foreigners' Turkish Learning Anxiety Scale" designed by Sevim (2019a), and the "Motivation Scale for Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language" developed by Sevim (2019b) were used. Simple and predictive statistical methods were used to analyze data obtained via evaluation tools. After evaluating the findings obtained from the research, it was concluded that implementing the Socrates Seminar Technique in course activities led to increased reading comprehension achievement and enhanced motivation among students learning Turkish, while also reducing their anxiety levels associated with learning the language. Additionally, the study aims to provide concrete examples of course activities developed using the Socrates Seminar Technique in the realm of foreign language teaching. This study is intended to benefit both teachers and students, offering practical insights to enhance the teaching process in what is commonly perceived as a challenging domain.